Israel Intensifies Attacks Against Lebanon

by Sam F. Ghattas

Israel unleashed a furious military campaign on Lebanon's main airport,
highways, military bases and other targets Thursday, retaliating for scores
of Hezbollah guerrilla rockets that rained down on Israel and reached as far
as Haifa, its third-largest city, for the first time.

The death toll in two days of fighting rose to 57 people, including 10
Israelis, with the sudden burst of violence sending shock waves through a
region already traumatized by Iraq and the ongoing battles in the Gaza Strip
between Israel and Hamas. It shattered the relative calm in Lebanon that
followed Israel's pullout from its occupied zone in south Lebanon in 2000
and the withdrawal of Syrian forces last year. . . .

Israeli analysts warned that Syria, which supports Hezbollah and plays host
to Hamas' political leader Khaled Mashaal, could be Israel's next target.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said any Israeli attack against Syria
would be an aggression on the whole Islamic world and warned of a harsh
reaction . . .

Israel's offensive was among its heaviest in Lebanon since it invaded the
neighboring country and occupied its capital 24 years ago. . . .